Bed pad

ABSTRACT

A bed pad system for protecting a mattress from being soiled comprises a continuous band of a plurality of individual bed pads which are connected to each other at ends thereof. The bed pad system is structured for separating an individual bed pad from a neighboring bed pad. The bed pad system is easy to manufacture and can be hygienically transported and handled in a straightforward manner.

[0001] This application claims benefit of provisional application 60/451,276 filed on Mar. 04, 2003 as well as Paris Convention priority of DE 203 17 665.0 filed on Nov. 15, 2003 the entire enclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Urine and faecal incontinence has become more and more of a problem in industrialized societies. Approximately 75% of incontinent persons in Germany are cared for at home and 25% live in homes. The number of people requiring care and incontinent people will considerably increase in the years and decades to come, such that the need for inexpensive hygiene products to care for these people will increase.

[0003] Bed pads are preferably used to care for incontinent patients in bed for absorbing the discharged urine or stool and to protect the bed from being soiled. These bed pads usually have a rectangular shape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is the underlying purpose of the invention to provide a bed pad which is easy to produce, which can be easily and hygienically transported and which is easy to handle.

[0005] This object is achieved in accordance with the invention with a bed pad for protecting a mattress from being soiled in that several bed pads are connected at a separating point into a band and, when required, one bed pad can be separated from the band at that separating point.

[0006] The invention permits production of the bed pads in the form of a band, with one separating point being provided between two neighboring bed pads. This band can e.g. be wound onto a winding core to facilitate transport of a plurality of bed pads. At the location of use, the band, which is wound onto a winding core and consists of a plurality of bed pads, can be placed onto a suitable holder and the bed pads can be subsequently separated or torn off from the band when required. This facilitates handling of the bed pads and also ensures that the bed pads located inside the roll are protected from being soiled by the surrounding bed pads.

[0007] In further advantageous embodiments of the invention, the separating point is designed as a perforation, such that a bed pad can be separated from the wound band without additional tools or other means.

[0008] As further supplement to the invention, one or more recesses may be provided along the separating point, which cooperate with a corresponding holder of the wound roll to always interrupt unwinding of the band when a separating point is reached, thereby preventing inadvertent complete unwinding of the roll. Unwinding of the roll can e.g. be interrupted by providing fingers or mandrels on the above-mentioned device, such that, when the recesses slide over the fingers or mandrels at the separating point, these engage in the recesses thereby interrupting further unwinding of the roll. A force can then be applied to an unwound bed pad which is required to separate the bed pad at the separating point or perforation from the remaining band. This further facilitates handling of the bed pads disposed in the form of the band in accordance with the invention.

[0009] Devices which cooperate with a band-shaped bed pad of this type are also part of the invention, wherein the structural design of these devices is within the scope of knowledge of a person skilled in the art.

[0010] The inventive band-shaped bed pad consists of a moisture-proof foil, an absorbent layer and a cover. In a particularly advantageous version, the absorbent layer consists of pulp with or without additional substances which improve the absorbing capacity, and the cover consists of a fleece.

[0011] Further advantages and advantageous embodiments of the invention can be extracted from the following drawing, the description thereof and the claims. All the features disclosed in the drawing, the description thereof and the claims may be essential to the invention individually and in arbitrary combination.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0012]FIG. 1 shows an inventive bed pad;

[0013]FIG. 2 shows several bed pads joined into a band;

[0014]FIG. 3 shows a bed pad wound into a roll in accordance with the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015]FIG. 1 shows a top view of a rectangular bed pad 3. The bed pad 3 may have e.g. three layers, the uppermost layer being fleece and the lowest layer being moisture-proof. An intermediate layer of pulp is disposed between the fleece and the moisture-proof layer, optionally provided with additional substances to increase the absorbing capacity of the cellulose.

[0016] A bed pad 3 of this type is put onto the mattress of a bed (not shown) when required to prevent soiling of the mattresses in case of incontinence. The absorbent layer of the bed pad 3 absorbs all liquid and binds it, such that through removal of the bed pad 3, the bed can be used again and merely a further bed pad 3 must be applied.

[0017] The inventive bed pads 3 consist of sections 2 of a band 1 (shown in FIG. 2), wherein the band 1 has the structure described above in connection with the bed pad 3. Each section 2 of the band 1 is a bed pad 3, wherein the sections 2 are separated by a separating point 8. The separating point 8 may be designed as a perforation (indicated in FIG. 2 by reference numeral 9), such that tearing off of the section 2 located at one band end 7 provides one single bed pad 3.

[0018]FIG. 3 shows a band 1 in the form of a roll 4, which is wound onto a winding core 5, wherein a section 2 has been completely unwound from the roll 4. This form of maintenance and transport of a plurality of bed pads 3 is particularly advantageous, since the roll 4 and winding core 5 can be placed onto a mandrel or another bearing (not shown) and, when required, one section 2 after the other can be torn off or separated in a different manner from the roll, similar to toilet paper.

[0019] Handling of the roll 4 and removal of a section 2 can be further improved by providing one or more recesses 10 in the region of the separating point 9 which cooperate with a device (not shown) such that fingers or mandrels (not shown) of the device engage in the recesses 10 when these recesses 10 are guided past the mandrels or fingers as a section 2 is unwound from the roll 4. This interrupts unwinding of the roll 4 and a force can then be applied on the section 2 located on the right-hand side of the recesses 10 in FIG. 3 to separate this section 2 from the remaining band 1 at the separating point 9.

[0020] The cooperation between the recesses 10 and mandrels or fingers of a device (not shown) can also be designed such that the mandrels or fingers (not shown) engage in the recesses 10 only when the band 1 is guided at a certain angle over the mandrels or fingers. When the band 1 is guided over the mandrels or fingers at another angle, these do not engage in the recess 10. When required, it is therefore possible to unwind several sections 2 from the roll 4 at once and separate them from the band 1 at the desired separating point 9.

[0021] The inventive band-shaped bed pad 3 considerably facilitates transport and handling. The shape of a roll 4 is also particularly advantageous to protect the bed pad 3 from soiling during transport or prior to use. It is thereby advantageous when the moisture-proof lower side of the band 1 or of the bed pad 3 faces outwardly on the roll 4 to prevent soiling of the fleece and prevent external moisture from entering the absorbent layer of the band 1.

[0022] List of Reference Numerals

[0023]1 Band

[0024]2 Band sections

[0025]3 Bed pad

[0026]4 Roll

[0027]5 Winding core

[0028]6 Beginning of the band

[0029]7 End of the band

[0030]8 Separating point

[0031]9 Perforation 

I claim:
 1. A bed pad system for protecting a mattress from being soiled, the system comprising: a continuous band of a plurality of individual bed pads, connected to each other at ends thereof; and means for separating an individual bed pad from a neighboring bed pad.
 2. The bed pad system of claim 1, wherein said separating means has perforations.
 3. The bed pad system of claim 1, wherein said separating means has holes.
 4. The bed pad system of claim 1, further comprising means for winding said band into a roll.
 5. The bed pad system of claim 4, wherein said winding means comprise a winding core.
 6. The bed pad system of claim 5, wherein said winding core comprises a sleeve.
 7. The bed pad system of claim 1, wherein each bed pad comprises a moisture-proof foil, an absorbent layer, and a cover.
 8. The bed pad system of claim 7, wherein said absorbent layer comprises cellulose and said cover comprises a fleece.
 9. The bed pad system of claim 1, wherein each bed pad has a rectangular shape. 